Objective: The present study assessed the different biological activities of Boerhavia diffusa leaf extracts from the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra in both methanolic and aqueous form.
Methods:Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to determine the phytochemical composition of methanolic and aqueous extracts of Boerhavia diffusa leaves. The total phenolic content and total flavonoid content were quantified using standard spectroscopic methods. The antioxidant potential was assessed with the DPPH assay. Additionally, in vitro assays evaluated the antidiabetic properties through alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase inhibition assays, along with the anti-inflammatory effects assessed via Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) denaturation and trypsin inhibition assays. The cytotoxic effects were studied on HepG-2 cancer cells.
Results: The LCMS analysis revealed the occurrence of several phytochemicals in both the methanolic and aqueous extracts. The methanolic and aqueous extract demonstrated potent antioxidant activity (IC50 = 71.21 ± 0.002 μg/ml & IC50 = 66.46 ± 0.001 μg/ml respectively) than that of standard ascorbic acid (IC50=79.44 ± 0.002). Methanolic and aqueous extracts showed α-amylase (IC50 = 56.29±0.003 μg/ml and IC50 = 71.85±0.003 μg/ml) and α-glucosidase (IC50 = 58.59±0.004 μg/ml and IC50 = 79.34±0.001 μg/ml) inhibitory activity compared to acarbose. Additionally, both the extract methanolic and aqueous exhibited moderate anti-inflammatory activity via BSA denaturation (IC50 = 58.89±0.011 μg/ml and 75.25±0.003μg/ml) and trypsin (IC50 = 57.60 ± 0.003 μg/ml and 80.93 ± 0.003 μg/ml) inhibition assays compared to indomethacin and cytotoxic activity on HepG-2 cell line with IC50 = 351.1 ± 0.1258 µg/ml.
Conclusion:The results demonstrate the medicinal potential of B. diffusa leaves as a natural basis of bioactive chemicals with cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and antioxidant qualities.